2012 Oak Tree Award Winners announced

Congratulations to Christine Dunne and Marcia Napolitano, who were recently named this year’s Oak Tree Award Teachers of the Year.

Award winners Christine Dunne (L) and Marcia Napolitano

The Oak Tree Award promotes community recognition and respect for teaching as a profession by selecting a representative Oak Tree Award winners Christine Dunne (L) and exemplary educator at the elementary and secondary levels in Webster Schools. A nominee must be characterized as an exemplary teacher, be currently teaching in a full-time position in the Webster Central School District, have a minimum of five years’ teaching experience in Webster, and plan to continue to teach in the following school year in/or retire from the Webster Central School District.

Other nominees this year included Lynda Courage, Erin Lantzer, Kathy Scerra, William Schoff, Pam Smith, Kristin Chatfield, Diane DiGravio, Julie McGuigan and Deb Ostertag. Winners were chosen by a selection committee comprised of representatives from the Webster Teachers Association and Webster Parent Teachers Student Association.

Marcia Napolitano is the Oak Tree Award recipient for the elementary level.  Colleague Ann Merkey nominated the Plank Road North Elementary School fourth grade teacher.

Christine Dunne, who teaches foreign language at Willink Middle School and Webster Thomas High School, is the recipient for the secondary level. She was nominated by her former student, Beth Gillis, and by her colleague, Kathleen Lehman.

As Oak Tree Award honorees, Napolitano and Dunn were presented with their plaques at the Board of Education meeting on May 3. These plaques will hang in their buildings (Dunne’s will be at Willink) as a proud display for their colleagues and visitors to the schools.  They also each received a hand-lathed, wood pen and a $500 award.